In a pair of cases this week, the Supreme Court has a chance to dramatically shape the way that many people use and get on the Internet. Scheduled for argument Tuesday are MGM Studios Inc. v. Grokster Ltd. and StreamCast Networks Inc., which could decide whether peer-to-peer downloading of songs and movies violates copyright, and National Cable & Telecommunications Association v. Brand X Internet Services, a struggle to determine which regulatory regime should govern cable Internet services.
"They are two cases that will have huge meaning for the technological development of the country," says Arthur Brodsky of the group Public Knowledge, which advocates for broad public access to technology. Both cases have attracted top intellectual property and telecommunications lawyers from firms around the country, eager to be in on what could be landmarks in the unpredictable history of the digital age.